The Gap: Can the USA and Islam Bridge It?

#23
zeemax jii

Lack of knowledge?

Is this lack of knowledge to emphasise on humanity, rather than Mullahism?

Is this lack of knowledge to advise these idiotic organizations to stop humiliating Islam at their own hands and start doing practically good things for the betterment of the poor human beings and start solving the serious issues which are big gaps between a progressive world and a recessive ones.

I don`t go for all those complications, I just believe in simple human principles.
And those human principles are ,``Hard work, honesty, integrity, loyality, bravery , love, kind heartedness, compassion with high human values.`` These are the things which they really need to address ,back in their homelands where they have big GAPS/holes between real humanity and their so, called Muslim agenda, which is just another defected cult with faults.................

Thank you.

#23
zeemax sahib

Lack of knowledge?

In what sense? explain

Zeena,

The big tragedy with Muslims is they don`t clearly know their religion ...

This part of your statement is correct. Rest is lack of knowledge.

aashee, ballukhan,subashjoshi
Thank you for your compliments. At least I am not hopeless, there are others who have same mindset.

My whole Point is......

We do not need Islam for recognition. Yes, all we need is hardwork, honesty, being good humans with great mannerisms and values which we are already practicing in our daily lives.

Then why all of a sudden I get up, get dressed and go out side and start announcing ,`` Hey, my American neighbors, I am Muslim, look at me and narrow all gaps by crossing a bridge and come closer to me and hug me. I am not stinking, I have used the best perfume this time and this perfume is my recognition, Muslim perfume.................hahahaha``.

The big tragedy with Muslims is they don`t clearly know their religion which is already trapped in the hands of fanatics. Unfortunately, sometimes even some very intellectual Muslims get trapped in the same mindset.

If, these Muslims wish to interact with eachother at their own private level without shouting out loud some bogus propaganda of crossing some imaginary bridges or filling up gaps, they are free to do so like every ethnic group does.......

Sadly, these so called bridge filler Muslims DO NOT help each other at private level, they do not have the real hearts and souls of kind human beings, they stab eachother at their backs.

Majority of these Muslim organizations are hijacked by fanatics. B/c normal, decent, and intellectual Muslim will never mingle up with these idiots................................

If they really wish a recognition, the only way to fill the gap and cross the bridge is to prove themselves as much progressive as possible, as much hardworking as possible, by showing others the right pathways of humanity Without abusing Islam or WITHOUT using false slogans on streets........................if they will be nice humans, that will be their main identity..........................

Even if they insist for filling up this gap by crossing some invisible bridges, my suggestion for these organizations is.....................
Why don`t they go back to the Muslim countries and start filling up the real gap by crossing the bridges which are created by the VACUUMS since they left their homelands. They can contribute their efforts to gather their poor people in a right direction for their betterment.

Do they realize their poor brothers and sisters need them for their basic needs? The time and efforts that they spend in filling GAPS between America and them without any goal, the same efforts they can utilize to fill the GAPS and to cross the real burning bridges between POORS and filthy rich MUSLIMS.

They can fill up the gaps of corruption in those so called Muslim societies by crossing bridges by their high moral values............they really need to work on their homelands BIG GAPS, big black holes.....................But, NO they need to fill only invisible American gaps which are not there.....................

addition to #18:

I should have added that the history of Hindu-Muslim animosity in India makes the reaction of the BJP leaders to Godhra even more irresponsible.

Re: # 18

Dost-Mittarji,

I understand what you are saying. I in anyway do not condone what happened in
Gujrat after Godhra.
All I am saying is, if Americans have lived_with/exposed_to the intolerance as long as
Indians have lived and survived, reaction of Americans after such catastrophic event may
not be rational/that we saw after 9/11.

It is interesting to note that while USA is supposed to be a melting pot ... did some one say give me your wretched, downtrodden etc ... Muslims still need to make speeches in forums to bridge some gap. Zeena is right. What gap? The Muslim Americans are every bit as American, if not more, than the Italians or the Puerto Ricans for God`s sake.

The truth is, it is a melting pot only for white people. Other shades, don`t ever even begin to think it`s your country.

East is East, and West is West. And never the twain shall meet. Never has, and never will.

jang, shishaapa:

The comparison between India (Godhra?) and the USA (WTC) is at least partially valid.

When the WTC attack occurred, even the right-wing nut Bush immediately made a distinction between the attackers and Muslims, calling Islam a religion of peace. US political leaders, mayors, secretaries, legislators went to mosques to reassure Muslims. Contrast this to what the BJP and Modi did. They called a Gujrarat Bandh which was generally viewed as a call to ``direct action``, coupled with incendiary statements by leaders.

On the other hand (which economist worth his salt wouldn`t use his ``other hand``?:)), the attack on the WTC was not carried out by the US Muslims; it was not meant to attack Hindus and the mainstream news media the next day didn`t blame the WTC victims for their fate, like the Indian media blamed the Hindu victims of Godhra by publishing stories about their teasing some Muslim tea-seller`s daughter. And yes, the US does not have a history of bitterness between Muslims and Christians.

so khan-sahib hopes to bridge gap between muslims in amrika and the larger society by suggesting bogus villification of other communities, which have faced bombings of various buildings like stock-exchage, markets, attacks on parliaments, temples, and institutions of learning. and ras-sahib finds ``interesting``..maybe he should discuss above recent events as well.

Poor Martin Luther King.....had he just had an opportunity to visit chowk he would have figured out that religion is a private affair, to be kept locked inside people`s homes!

Strings will be playing in Oakland on June 4th!!!!!
ZINDA TOUR is almost here on the West Coast.
I`ll try and get the details on to the CHOWK Calender
if it is not there already.


For this report with pictures please visit

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Community/2006/May06/05/01.HTM



Now on the point of this writing: It is the job of a journalist to

cover all aspects of his or her community activity.

Whether it is Muslim organizations and their serious efforts

(I have covered AMA, UMA & AMV on a number of occasions)

or progressive writers or film makers, fundraisers etc.

I think that I`ve done it all from Karachi Kamera to UMA.

(Please see my archives here on CHOWK).

On the philosophical level I agree with Dost -Mittar, Mantolives

and Zeena. But the community needs to have all of its voices

heard. Maybe Zeena can write a full article on her thoughts here

on CHOWK?

I think that Dr. Muqtedar Khan was quite interesting at this event.

And on stage the only Pakistani that I know of was Emcee Omar Khan.

The rest were mainly Indian-Americans and one person from Egypt (amongst

the Muslims).

Ballukhan, if we live in the past we will never see the possibilities of

a bright future. Who did what to whom hundreds of years ago is

not helping anyone. On the other hand Gujarat and Kashmir need

to be addressed because they are more recent.

Ras

Re: # 13

Based on your theory there would be no americans left by then, so your question is irrelevant.

Imagine Muslims thugs had repeatedly invaded America for thousand years, destroyed
churches and built mosques in their places, converted populations by force, zizya etc,
then split the western part of US claiming Christians would discriminate agains Muslims
when not in absolute helm of US, claiming they are part of Columbia civilization and
not Mississipi civilization exterminating christian population in that area, tried to foment
insurgency in Utah claiming it is unfinished business of some strange thing, then driven
planes into WTC on 9/11.
Wonder what would have been reaction of Americans to 9/11 attacks.

Ras saheb:

I am perplexed by the title - Islam is a religion and USA a country, so wouldn`t it make more sense to ask whether Islam and Christianity/Judaism/Buddhism can bridge the gap; or alternatively, can Muslims be good Americans?

As a non-muslim who considers himself a humanist, I am ready to defend the right of every Muslim in this country, whether he or she is shia, sunni, ahmedia or just a cultural muslim. But I (and others like me) have no interest in defending Islam, nor do I have any interest in defending Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and Judaism. I think that this task should be left to the Mullahs, Pundits, Priests, Bhais, Rabbis or other thekedars of religions.

The distinction is important - most vocal Muslims have tended to defend their relgion rather than their rights as individual citizens - they talk about how Islam is the religion of peace and tolerance and OBL and his followers are not true Muslims, instead of insisting of simply demanding their right as Americans. Jews have succeeded in getting the sympathy of the world not by complaining that the world is against their religion but by complaining that they have suffered due to anti-semitism.

Re: # 3 Zeena

Wow!!! How well you write! And how neatly and succinctly (spelling?) you demolished this religious identity thing!

And in next post, you say No religion is the best religion. I fully agree. It is best that we keep our religion to ourselves, within the boundaries of our homes, temples, mosques. Nobody could put it better than you.

Ballu

Yaar does everything have to come back to your own spin of TNT?

My own experience in the US is the following:

1- Pakistanis from pakistan were way more liberal and open minded than Pakistanis and Muslims living in the US. Also a general rule these migrant Pakistanis would be part of political organisations like AMA or UMA and not ISNA or ICNA... On campus you would see Pakistanis as part of Pakistani Students Association etc and would show case Pakistan with dance parties and fashion shows etc. By contrast other organisations tended to be much more conservative.

2- Indian Muslims- both from India and those in the US- were largely very religious folk who tended to get along more with Arabs etc ... they were far more exclusive than Pakistanis... and also - and this the irony- they hated Pakistan almost as much as they hated Hindus.

This is my experience having lived in the hub of South Asian communities of New Jersey.

-YLH